Every day of the camp we run OPD. We generally start at 8.30-9.00 am but run late into the evening seeing patients returning after ear syringing or audiometry.

Doctors see patients around a single large table and as required move to the operating theatre for their cases. Between cases they return to OPD. There are breaks for snacks and meals but the times will vary depending on workload and duration of theatre cases.

We usually register 100-200 patients per day, many are seen more than once, as they have to return after audiology etc. This can be very busy but is manageable.All patients have a record paper that is printed with sections for diagnosis, investigations, audiogram, and treatment including medicines, hearing aid, operation and priority. There is a carbon copy paper kept beneath the main copy. The patient retains one copy for future use (as they also do with operation records) and we keep one. We enter the demographics and treatments into a database which is based on a WHO epidemiology programme called EPI-INFO.We aim to keep these records very accurate, so clear completion of the OPD examination paperwork is important.Patients requiring medicines are passed to pharmacy. We carry some information leaflets that can be ‘prescribed’, such as how to keep the ear dry, how to ‘pop’ the ear (Valsalva manouevre). Patients for surgery also attend pharmacy to get further information, consent, arrange hair shave if needed and book the surgery timing.Some patients may need to use medication and when possible return after 2-3 days for re-examination.On the last day of the camp OPD is devoted to doing dressings for the patients who have had surgery, after this we spend about 2 hours explaining in detail about post-op care. They receive printed information, medicines and all of this is explained carefully with opportunities for questions.As many patients have bilateral disease it is very important that we explain their care and give appropriate medicines for the non-operated ear as well as the operated ear.Doctors in OPD need to ensure that they record the treatment plan for both ears.